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Mr. Black
Mr. Black is the one-time court-appointed mentor to to Trouble Ahead. He is notable for the linchpin role he has played in a number of conspericies, for being the direct cause of the Anglo-Goblin War and, secretly, for causing the destruction of physical form of The Charter of the Land. Mr. Black has the power to to mimic any person appearance by replacing his "face" (a white Bauta mask) with a mask designed to look like his target. He is infamous among the majority of the Lost for trading his Christan name away to a hobgoblin for an unknown boon and the creation of Mr. Black’s Rules. Mortal Life Before he was taken to Arcadia, Mr. Black was a happy family man with at least one son. Durance Mr. Black never speaks of his life during the Durance. Life in the Empire Mr. Black's life in the empire is has been revealed a great deal by the discovery of Prince Martin's Diary. When he originally arrived in London, Mr. Black was a member of The Court of Spring. He advocated strong ties to one's living family- he maintained contact with his son (also a changeling) and his mundane grandson. When his son and grandson went missing at the start of winter 1997, Mr. Black made every effort to get them back, even going so far as to make an infamous hobgoblin known as The Cat. In return for Mr. Black's first name, The Cat would tell Mr. Black the final fate of his son and grandson. Something went horribly wrong during this pact, with the Cat's magical power being significantly reduced (after going into a seizure-like state) and Mr. Black losing his first name forever. So powerful was the sanction, that even the records of the Winter Court and The Charter of the Land were altered and the memories of the whole of the Empire were changed to prevent him re-learning his name. This alteration (known as The Black Incident among the empire's power elite) was the immediate cause of the Anglo-Goblin War. As a result of this loss and the subsequent war, Black is very harsh on younger and more foolish changelings. He joined The Court of Winter sometime after the war and Winter finds him indispensable in weeding out candidates for the court that do not meet his exacting standards. Mr. Black was badly injured by Percy Harving who believed that Black was actually Pan's Shadow. His mask now appears to have three small crack marks running down it where his face was slashed. While Mr. Black has not overtly taken umbrage at this, it is known that he is having nightmares about it. Mr. Black has worked very hard to convince the members of Trouble Ahead to not pursue or investigate the strange conection between themselves and The Deep End, going so far as to try enlist others (including Father Forthill and Baron Amyas Crayle) to try and talk the group out of taking further action. It was revealed that Mr. Black's work with The Membership Committee goes deeper than just his duties as mentor- he appears to be aware of, and committed to, the committee's secret purpose, whatever that may be. After learning that the members of Trouble Ahead killed The Pan, Mr. Black went into a rage and attacked Duke Mortimer, his court-mate and direct superior. Since that time, Black has gone on something of a rampage, and appears to have lost a great deal of clarity. He interrogated Gram Thew and Percy Harving with help from Sir Beryl Whitehall, who was in cahoots with Black. Mr. Black soon took over leadership of the Membership Committee, filling the void left by the disappearance of Duke Mortimer. In order to maintain his position in public, he is impersonating Mortimer at all times. It has also been revealed that the Empire has been categorically unable to "deal with" (read: execute) Mr. Black due to Empress Victoria's unwavering support of him. It is widely assumed that Black is blackmailing her over something. Category:Winter Court Category:Darkling Category:Mirrorskin Category:Imperial Category:Functionary Category:Membership committee